Moslem rebels attack army patrol, outpost in southern Philipppines

Colonel Fredesvindo Covarrubias said the fighting erupted on Tuesday when Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels ambushed patrol soldiers in a remote village in Barira town, Maguindanao province, 960 kilometres south of Manila.

"Troops immediately retaliated by shelling MILF positions with mortar," said Covarrubias, chief of civil relations of the Armed Forces' Southern Command.

Several hours later, MILF rebels shelled with rockets and mortars, the army's detachment in Barira.

"About 60 guerrillas, armed with B-40 anti-tank rockets and AK-47 automatic rifles, attacked the army's jungle base," Covarrubias said.

No casualties were reported in both attacks. "The rebels have been harassing us," Covarrubias said. "We do not launch counter-attacks against the MILF forces but soldiers retaliate to survive. They cannot be sitting ducks and they cannot be target boards."

The attacks occurred despite efforts by the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to resume stalled peace negotiations with the MILF.

Arroyo has declared a unilateral ceasefire with the MILF in a bid to woo the largest Moslem rebel group back to the negotiating table.

While the MILF has agreed to hold new peace talks with the government, it has not yet declared its own ceasefire.

The MILF, which has been fighting for an independent Islamic state in the southern region of Mindanao since 1978, terminated peace talks with the government last year after ousted president Joseph Estrada ordered an offensive against it.

The offensive, which lasted for several months, resulted in the worst fighting in years in Mindanao and led to the capture of all MILF camps. Up to 600,000 civilians were also displaced in the fighting between the military and the MILF.

(dpa)